Healing Arizona Veterans latest NEWSLETTER

Consider now the symptoms of more serious “headaches” that are the result of traumatic brain injuries (TBI). According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “everyone is at risk for TBI, especially children and older adults.

Most of us have had a headache sometime in our lives. Most of us will take a couple of aspirins and wait for some results. If we have the time, we might even lie down and rest to let the aspirin do its job.

But what happens when we have headaches every day? And what if the discomfort and pain associated with our headache is so intense that we really cannot function; we cannot perform our normal, daily routines at work or at home? Most likely, we will visit a medical doctor to be evaluated, diagnosed and provided with a “stronger” prescription “pain killer”.

According to www.health.com there are five types of headaches: 1) tension headaches, 2) cluster headaches, 3) sinus headaches, 4) rebound headaches, and 5) migraine headaches. In all cases, the “solution” is to take some form of medication. But there is no magic pill for any of these headaches. In fact, ironically, the rebound type of headache is caused by “Overuse of painkillers for headaches”.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Telephone: 520‐229‐2122

These effects are clearly devastating not only to the individual that has suffered a single (or even multiple) TBI but also to their families; robbing them of the ability to function in their homes and communities.

TBI and the NFL

There continues to be media coverage of one particular group of TBI victims: National Football League players. FRONTLINE’S documentary based on the book “League of Denial” which aired on PBS reported that “In his book “Play Hard, Die Young”, Dr. Bennet Omalu tells the sad and unfortunate stories of three NFL players: Andre “Spanky” Waters, Terry “T‐Bone” Long and Michael “Iron Mike” Webster. Dr. Omalu who specializes in forensic Pathology and neuropathology examined the brains of these three players posthhumously which let to a new disease that he named chronic traumatic encephalopathy. (CTE)

R. Omalu examined tissue from Webster (and eight other NFL players and determined they all showed signs of brain damage previously seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

In the case of Andre Waters, his brain tissue had degenerated into that of an 85‐year‐old man with similar characteristics to those of early‐stage Alzheimer’s victims. Waters was only 44 years of age when he committed suicide in 2006. Similarly, Terry Long was only 45 years of age when he committed suicide by drinking antifreeze. Dr. Omalu and other doctors studied his brain later and believe that brain damage from his football career contributed to his depression and later suicide.

The largest brain bank in Bedfod, MA focused on traumatic brain injury has found evidence of a degenerative brain disease in 76 of the 79 former players it’s examined.” The brain bank referred to is the Department of Veterans Affairs’ brain repository in Bedford, Mass. new data from the nation’s Forensic Pathology and Neuropathology examined the brains of these three players posthumously which led to his discovery of a new disease that he named chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

In the case of Andre Waters, his brain tissue had degenerated into that of an 85‐year‐old man with similar characteristics to those of early‐stage Alzheimer’s victims. Waters was only 44 years of age when he committed suicide in 2006. Similarly, Terry Long was only 45 years of age when he committed suicide by drinking antifreeze. Dr. Omalu and other largest brain bank focused on traumatic brain injury has found evidence of a degenerative brain disease in 76 of the 79 former players it’s examined.” The brain bank referred to is the Department of Veterans Affairs’ brain repository in Bedford, Mass. new data from the nation’s Forensic Pathology and Neuropathology examined the brains of these three players posthumously which led to his discovery of a new disease that he named chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Dr. Omalu examined tissue from Webster (and eight other NFL players in subsequent research) and determined they all showed the kind of brain damage previously seen in people with Alzheimer’s disease dementia. In the case of Andre “One theory is that too much medication can cause the brain to shift into an excited state, triggering more headaches. Another is that rebound headaches are a symptom of withdrawal as the level of medicine drops in the bloodstream.” In either case, the increased use of even over‐ the‐counter medications is not a cure for the underlying cause of even a “simple headache”. adults.” http://www.cdc.gov/TraumaticBrainInjury/

Doctors studied his brain later and believe that brain damage from his football career contributed to his depression and later suicide.

In a more recent case, Chris Henry, a wide receiver that played five seasons in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals died in a motor vehicle accident at the age of 26 in December 2009. During his NFL career, Henry was convicted of several criminal charges and was briefly suspended by the NFL. Post death investigation revealed that Henry had developed CTE during his playing career due to multiple hard hits to the head. While several former NFL players have been found to have the disease after their deaths, Henry was believed to be the first still‐active NFL player to have the condition.

The CDC states that “TBI is a major cause of death and disability in the United States, contributing to about 30% of all injury deaths. Every day, 138 people in the United States die from injuries that include TBI. Those who survive a TBI can face effects lasting a few days to disabilities which may last the rest of their lives. Effects of TBI can include impaired thinking or memory, movement, sensation (e.g., vision or hearing), or emotional functioning (e.g., personality changes, depression). These issues not only affect individuals but can have lasting effects on families and communities.”

The State of Oklahoma has demonstrated national leadership by being the first to create The Oklahoma Veteran Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Recovery Plan (SB1604). This program makes it possible to begin the rescue of more than 40,000 veterans in Oklahoma who are today living with the negative effects of their valiant service to our country; traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The Oklahoma State Government has independently validated the fact that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and cognitive rehabilitation are effective treatments for TBI and PTSD; and, has created The Patriot Clinics, Inc.

Virginia, Arkansas and Texas all have similar legislature in various stages of review to create and support Patriot Clinics to treat veterans suffering from TBI and PTSD using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Arizona Medical Professionals and concerned citizens have joined forces to raise awareness of HBOT, the most effective treatment presently available for concussion and traumatic brain injury. By uniting with groups like the American Legion, VFW and Rotary International, our goal is to introduce and pass legislature in the State of Arizona to provide HBOT treatment for our Arizona Veterans free of charge.

If you or your organization is interested in obtaining more information or would like to participate in any way to support our efforts, please contact Rick Chimblo at: rchimblo@hotmail.com

All of these NFL players exhibited the symptoms of TBI leading up to their untimely deaths. They were being treated with various prescription medications. But they were not being cured. Their lives began a continuous “downhill spiral” that ended in suicide or a tragic fatal accident.

The International Hyperbaric Medical Foundation (IHMF) has helped many NFL players “achieve clinically significant recovery” after completing treatment with hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). HBOT is the most effective treatment presently available for TBI.

Testimonials by NFL legend Joe Namath (see link at the end of this Newsletter), Hall of Fame lineman Joe Delamielleure, Pro Bowl linebacker Bill Romanowski and tight end star of five Superbowls Marv Flemings all confirm the benefits of HBOT. Delamielleure states “Of all the therapies I have been treated with, Hyperbaric Oxygen has helped me the most.” These are some of our American Football heroes.

What about our American Military Heroes?

Using a network of civilian clinics like NorthStar HBOT in Tucson (http://www.northstarhbot.com/), a coalition of veterans and medical doctors working pro bono have successfully treated hundreds of TBI and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) veteran and civilian casualties. The use of HBOT has demonstrated dramatic success in returning fully‐treated patients to a quality of life far above what they could have received from traditional or Department of Defense medicine. The use of prescription medications can only relieve or “masked” the symptoms of TBI and PTSD. The brains of these casualties have been physically damaged and the only permanent cure is to heal and repair that damage. The use of HBOT enhances oxygen delivery to injured tissues and activates more than 3,100 genes that promote healing processes. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) has been extraordinarily successful in the study and treatment of neurological disorders

. The MRI/DTI images the fiber tracts of the white matter in the brain where “lesions” caused by concussion can be seen. Before and after MRI/DTI scans of the brains of patients suffering from TBI and PTSD have shown a noticeable improvement in the repair to damaged tissue.

RE: Patriot Clinics – Healing Our Veterans suffering from TBI and PTSD
Dear (Representative/Senator) (Last name):
My name is (your first and last name) and I am a concerned citizen who resides in your district.

Based upon information from the American Legion there are more than 22 veteran suicides every day here in the United States. These statistics could be as high as 35 veteran suicides per day! Not only is it shameful as a nation to allow this situation to occur among our heroes, but to be so unaware or even unmoved to this horrible fact that we do not even have 100% accurate statistics and more importantly that we are not addressing it at every level of government.

One of the major causes of these suicides is traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) suffered in combat by our veterans in Iraq, Afghanistan (Operations Iraq and Enduring Freedom) and the Gulf War (Desert Storm).

The State of Oklahoma has demonstrated national leadership by being the first to create The Oklahoma Veteran Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment and Recovery Plan (SB1604). This program makes it possible to begin the rescue of more than 40,000 veterans in Oklahoma who are today living with the negative effects of their valiant service to our country; TBI and PTSD. The Oklahoma State Government has independently validated the fact that hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) and cognitive rehabilitation are effective treatments for TBI and PTSD; and, accordingly has created The Patriot Clinics, Inc. (http://www.patriotclinics.com/) Virginia, Arkansas and Texas all have similar legislature in various stages of review to create and support Patriot Clinics to treat veterans suffering from TBI and PTSD using Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.

Arizona Medical Professionals and concerned citizens have joined forces to raise awareness of HBOT, the most effective treatment presently available for concussion and traumatic brain injury. We are asking you and the other members of the Arizona State Legislature to introduce and pass legislature in the State of Arizona to provide HBOT treatment for our Arizona Veterans free of charge.